Gentle into that Good Night
by Okadiah
Summary: On the eve of Integra's death, Alucard must obey one final command from his beloved master. But if he does, will he have the courage to embrace Integra's final offer and finally go gentle into that good night?


**Gentle into that Good Night**

"Alucard."

The No-Life King pinned his tired, crimson eyes on his old master and obediently sat beside her prone and dying body. Wires and medical tubes ran from her exposed arm down the other side of the bed to measure her heartbeat and vitals with clinical precision, while providing the water and nutrients her body still needed intravenously, as they had been for months now.

At the age of eighty-two, the wear of life had worn down Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing's body, and it appeared to Alucard that she was tired enough to let it finally die.

"Yes, Master?" He knew without looking that the IV he'd recently replaced was still full, and her catheter didn't need changing either. But he suspected he already knew what she'd called him over for. The old vampire had sensed it since last week, like a phantom odor. It was impossible to ignore, and given Alucard's intimate relationship with this particular villain, there was no denying what it was.

Death's loving embrace clung to his beloved master as it waited for her strong heart to beat its final pulse of life. And it would be tonight. He could feel it as only a monster such as him could feel it, but this time it went deeper. He knew it within the very pits of his nonexistent soul.

"Turn that bloody thing off," Integra commanded with an aged voice, soft but still full of control. She pulled the heartrate monitor off her finger and the machine began emitting sharp and annoying warning beeps in response. Silent as the shadows, Alucard rose to do as he was bid. Once he had quieted the machine and pushed it away to a corner of the vast room, he returned his blood-red eyes to his master. She lifted her exposed arm expectantly.

"Remove all of these damnable cords. If I'm going to die tonight, I'm going to do it comfortably and without all of this pointless nonsense."

Alucard smirked at the iron pluck of his beloved Countess and once again set about his work, pulling out every humiliating cord or pipe from her body with care. Once Alucard removed the IV from the papery skin of her hand, the final lifeline tying down his master, he let the tube drop to the ground with a delicate clatter he forgot instantly. With that final tube gone, Integra lifted her wrinkled and bleeding hand to her vampire.

Wordlessly he raised her fragile hand to his lips, accepting the beaded swell of her blood like a gift. The action was worshipful; something the unworthy might bestow upon the divine. He was careful to lap up every drop which leaked from the tiny wound. She would not tolerate wastefulness, not even this close to death.

Only after the wound had closed with a deft sweep of his tongue, leaving her hand pristine as ever, did she draw back. And he let her, keeping it only long enough to press a reverent kiss there.

"Is there anything else you desire, Master?" asked Alucard as he settled himself once again by her side. Her old blue eyes, milky with age, regarded him for a long moment before her shoulders dropped with a sigh.

"Hold me, servant," she commanded, but her tone lacked the iron edge she was known for. She sounded so tired. "You are not to leave until I breathe my last breath."

"Of course, Master."

He eased himself down, gathering her diminished and frail body against his with gentle care as if she were the most precious of porcelain dolls. Only once she was cradled comfortably against his chest did he allow himself to relax into her warmth and breathe in her familiar scent. Her skin carried with it the smell of the old and the tired, of eighty years of life which showed in every wrinkle and every line. It was a beautiful scent to him, one he could never have for himself. But under that wonderful, aged smell lingered others that her role as leader of the Hellsing Organization had ingrained. Gun metal, carbon, paper and ink, cigar smoke, a lifetime's worth of British tea, and blood. All of them mixed together to form the essence of his magnificent master. It did wonders to calm his anxious nerves.

"It won't be long now," he murmured in the aged voice he'd adopted since he'd returned to Integra's side, allowing his body to age in time with her. "Would you like me to tell you what it's like?"

"Don't be foolish, Alucard. It doesn't become you," she muttered. "Are you worried that I'll change my mind? That I'll rescind my final command?"

Alucard chuckled and shook his head against his beloved master's silver hair. "Since when has my Master ever changed her mind once it was made up? Such questions don't become _you_ , Master. Are _you_ the one that's worried?"

"Don't be preposterous."

The vampire smiled into his master's hair where she couldn't see as the tiniest of doubts in his old heart faded. There might have been some credence to her question. It was true she'd never faltered, but this was death. This was an ending, something final, and she'd never done this before. It was true she'd faced death many times in order to fulfill her duty as Head of the Hellsing Organization, but for how similar this was, it wasn't. This creep of death wasn't the result of something or someone trying to kill her. It was nature and the simple passage of time which all humans had to answer, should they live so long.

Perhaps a small part of him _had_ wondered if she would falter, given the long road death had taken with her, and the time she had to think about it. Perhaps a small part of him _had_ been terrified that she would change her mind, even when she'd never once done so in the past. But her conviction soothed his soul.

"You've taken care of everything?"

"Yes," he breathed as he stroked her old skin, remembering its heat and its texture and all of the memories he'd pressed into it since his return. Soon he'd be the only one to own those memories. Him alone. "The preparations have been in place for weeks now. Your will is iron clad, and there will be no challenging it once it takes effect. The young Sir Penwood will be named your heir and will inherit your duties. Seras will enforce them, as I have for you." Alucard's words were soft and calm, like this was nothing more than a report on daily activities. As if it meant nothing. "Not that they both haven't taken on those responsibilities already."

Integra hummed into his chest and he smiled down at her again. He knew she didn't disagree with his assessment of the team young Sir Penwood and Seras made as they managed the Hellsing Organization, and though he knew Integra would never admit it, their link told him the truth. She was relieved, and had been for a few years now. Integra had finally passed on the great mantle and responsibility of her duties.

Sometimes Alucard wondered when it was she'd made the decision to step down and let the younger generation take over. Perhaps it was because there simply weren't as many monsters like him out in the world, after Millennium and the Major, and her skills weren't required anymore. Perhaps humanity was finally entering a peaceful era after so much bloodshed. Whatever the reason, his master had slowly pulled away from Hellsing little by little, and so had he.

Despite how spry Integra had been in her youth all the way through middle age and maturity, flu in a recent winter left her bedridden for the better part of a month, and it had been all the time her body needed to proclaim its advanced age. All of her joints weakened and she had trouble maintaining her physical strength. She could no longer fence as she used to, nor was her body strong enough for more than half an hour of light exertion.

Before long she was confined to a wheel chair, her mobility and daily care almost entirely provided for by Alucard. Ever the faithful dog, he pushed her chair for her, guarded her, ran the most mundane of errands for her. He took care of her, and over the last several years it had become more uncommon, and then incredibly rare, that one saw Sir Integra without her deadly shadow.

Though this change severely limited her physical involvement, it hadn't affected her razor sharp mind, nor had it meant she lacked the strength to lift, aim, or pull the trigger of her hand pistol, which she proved to Alucard on a weekly basis. She was still the keen mind behind all actions taken by the Hellsing Organization, and she still gave out the orders which were received with uncanny obedience. But over the last year she'd delegated more and more of her responsibilities down to the young Sir Penwood and Seras.

For years Integra had groomed the timid Sir Penwood as successor to the Hellsing Organization and its duties, and Alucard more than anyone had been surprised to find the young man had an, albeit sensitive, knack for running the monster killing agency. He was capable, given Integra's guidance, and his skill with strategical operations and command were impressive for his level of experience. But for his strengths, he also possessed weaknesses. His sensitivity made him abysmal in tactical operations, but in that arena Seras was more than capable.

As Alucard had withdrawn from the field in order to give his master permanent care, Seras had stepped into his place as Hellsing's trash girl, lead monster killer, and Angel of Death. She'd slipped into the role so well that Alucard hadn't actually been out in the field in years. His vibrant young servant had truly come into her own as a Draculina, making him proud and bringing him great honor as his fledgling.

Alucard continued to stroke his beautiful, old master's hair and watched Integra endure her final moments of life. Her breath was a little labored, but he suspected that his master secretly enjoyed it. She'd always loved the struggle. The fight. The simple act of breathing challenged her, and it pleased him to see her fight for a few more moments of life.

Alucard felt his mind drift in morbid directions, as it tended to do these days. This … hadn't had to happen. If things had been different, she might have died a human and been reborn as something else. Something powerful and eternal, to join him as his Countess and Queen. But it wasn't to be, and a small part of his heart mourned Integra's decision to forfeit the night.

Throughout his long tenure as her servant and companion, he had wondered from time to time if she would ever command him to share his immortality with her. After all, she _had_ insisted on maintaining her virginity well into adulthood, and surprisingly even further still into old age. As explanation, she claimed it was because her purer blood made for a better meal when she fed him or Seras, and she wasn't wrong. It did. It had. But Alucard always wondered if perhaps there had been an insidious reason. That she might, deep at heart, desire to throw off her humanity and embrace the night as Nosferatu one day. He'd dared to hope that perhaps she secretly harbored romantic intentions of embracing the night with him for eternity, forever Count and Countess, with no one to command them but themselves; the world their proverbial oyster.

He knew she thought about it sometimes, tempted, but her Hellsing blood and devotion to the Queen ran too deep. Her humanity was too ingrained, and not long after he'd returned to her, he hadn't been surprised when she'd ordered him to stay the night. That was the night she'd taken her virginity with him, and though he'd been pleased to be her first and her only, a willing toy that she could use as she wished, it had been an action of permanence and intent.

Now if he drank her blood at death, the most he could do was consume her soul or transform her body into a ghoul. Alucard suspected she'd made him her lover to remove her growing temptation for the night, but he also suspected that she did it to prove once and for all, perhaps to the both of them, that she was human and mortal. That she was still worthy of humanity and the death that would come with it. Worthy of remaining Master of the Monster.

Alucard revered her for her choice, as it only made her more worthy. His true Master. If the decision had rested in his hands, he suspected he'd have been hard pressed not to have turned her. His eternity was long, and it was lonely. Having one so worthy at his side forever, no matter how it would ultimately have destroyed the very qualities which made her worthy to begin with, was a heady and selfish desire.

As always, he was relieved the decision hadn't been his to make.

But that meant his beloved master would leave him one day, and he knew he would never find someone so strong or formidable to keep him tame, now that he could never die. The reality of that thought caused dark loathing and disgust to swell like putrid oil throughout his corrupt being, and he clung tightly to his master as his crimson eyes narrowed angrily at the phantoms of his mind.

Warrant Officer Schrödinger's inherited abilities had become the greatest burden to his existence. The Major, for all of his efforts to kill Alucard and bring about a true end, had ultimately cursed him with an eternity he did not want by changing him into something new.

As it was, he wasn't sure he was a vampire anymore. It was true he still behaved as a vampire and hungered for blood, but he did not need it to survive as he once had. Perhaps he needed it to be powerful but even that was debatable. He didn't even need to keep souls within him anymore, to maintain his title as the No-Life King. He may get hungry, but he never had to consume souls to rebuild his castle and his keep. He could do it himself now, with the aid of no one. With Schrödinger's abilities, even if he was killed he could not die. He simply willed himself back into existence and he _was_.

Now he did not have to die, and given his nature to never choose death for himself, he knew he _never would_. Eternity waited him, an eternity without his master, without Integra to control him and to own him, and it made him tremble with fear.

That didn't mean he couldn't bring a soul within himself and allow it to disrupt his existence. Even the soul of one person was enough to blur and destroy the edges of Alucard's consciousness, of his personhood. He'd fade once more into oblivion but it wouldn't last. He'd become bored and bring himself back to life after killing the offending soul. Though there was always the possibility that the other soul might kill him, he knew that possibility was unfathomably small, essentially nonexistent. He'd lived centuries and had the battle skill and abilities which made his victory inevitable. He'd killed _millions_ on his own. Killing was as simple as breathing, for him. A simple endeavor he could not fail at.

It was the most power he'd ever possessed in his entire existence, and he hated the Major, Millennium, and most of all that cat Schrödinger for it. What human could possibly kill him now? He was beyond monster. He was beyond abomination. Fighting lost all appeal. It was a pointless waste of his unlife, for even if he killed enough to bring about another Major, there was no ending him, ever. Not in the fight. Not in the war. He was no longer the king or queen on the chess board. He had become the hand which swept the pieces away, and the eyes which watched the next game.

Death would never come for him now. Not like this.

And now the only human he could depend on to control his bloodlust and his unending existence was about to leave him behind for a place he could not go. He didn't know if he should mourn or rage her passing. He didn't know if he should be happy for her eternal rest, or if he should feel betrayed for it.

He supposed he would find out soon which way the coin would fall. Either way, she wouldn't be there to see it.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Her body may not be around to see it, but the soul of her which resided in her blood would. After all, once she died he would have one final command to obey.

If he had the courage to.

"You will let me die, Alucard," Integra told him a dark night a month ago while she'd petted his hair as if he were the most beloved of dogs. Her blue eyes had been so gentle that all he'd been able to do that night was cling to her withered body, speechless. "You will let me die, and when I do, you will drink my blood and take my soul into you. That is an order." Though her voice was soft, he knew her firmest of orders when he heard them, and he knew no amount of pleading on his part would convince her to change her mind.

"Yes, Master," was all he'd been able to whispered into her skin, not pointing out how pointless the command would be once she'd died and he regained his freedom. But he'd do this one thing anyway on his own, because she'd ordered it of him. His human master wished it and, servant or not, he would obey this final command though he wished she'd order him to die instead.

He would have listened. He'd have done it gratefully.

Integra began to cough with weak jolts of her body as her old heart pounded in her chest, and Alucard ripped himself from his thoughts as he turned his attention to his dying master. Realization made him cold with sadness. It was time. It was now. Her death was here, he could smell it, and through their mental link he knew she knew it too.

Gently he rubbed her back to help her through this final fit, wishing for the first time that his powers could aid her through this even though they could not. His powers were meant for death and pain. There was no life or peace in them, none that he could give his beloved Integra. But she made it through the coughing spell on her own, as she always did, and settled for the final time curled against him. An old hand slipped down his arm until she found his hand to entwine their fingers together, and his throat tightened.

He didn't want her to go and leave him behind. No matter how much she'd earned this.

"My order still stands, Count," Integra huffed softly into his chest, her blue eyes distant and unfocused as he felt her life finally begin to fade. "Even once I'm dead, I expect you to follow it. I'll know if you don't."

Devastation choked his lifeless heart, but he pressed the gentlest of kisses to her brow in farewell.

"Yes, my Countess."

He watched as the corners of her old lips quirked up just a little in the ghost of a smirk. Her body further relaxed into his, and her eyes drifted shut, her milky blues slipping from his crimson as her heart slowed and slowed.

And in time the silence between them filled with nothing but the soft sound of her breath … and then nothing at all.

It was a long moment before Alucard began to move, and when he did it was only to regard the old corpse of his master. That small smirk still lingered on her lips, and her body was still so warm to him, even in death. Distantly he felt the spells which bound his body and soul to her give way, releasing him from the hold of the Hellsing family with a painful flurry. He hardly noticed. Instead he contented himself with stroking her silvery hair, transfixed.

His master … Integra … she had died. She was dead … and he was free.

Free. For the first time in over a century he was once again Count and Lord of the night. He was again king of himself, untethered and unbound to anyone or anything. Without Integra, he could once again move wherever he desired, do as he wished, destroy and ravish and rule, and nothing would be able to stop him. Alucard could become the true sovereign of the world if he so desired, unstoppable and godly. He could do _anything_ now. He was free.

He was _free_.

Something wretched tore itself from his lifeless heart, and a strange sound burst into the air, pained and rough. As he clung to Integra's body with desperation, he realized that the sound had come from him. The sound had been a soul wrenching sob, one he'd kept in the very pits of his dark being. It had waited there ever since he'd been a child and alive so long ago, disillusioned and violated as the world took and took and took from him.

And it had just taken from him again, and this time was worst of all.

Bloody tears painted themselves on Integra's white nightgown, on her old skin, and he waited for her to scold him for making a bloody mess. Alucard waited for his master to shoot him, to take control of him again, but … nothing. Her lifeless body was as still as a doll, slowly cooling, and another sob ripped from his throat as the tears came harder.

He was _free_ , and his master, the glorious hand which had held his leash so firmly and controlled his greed, his lusts, and his violence was _gone_. What was he, now that he had no one to control him and his hungers? What could he possibly be after having submitted himself to the will of another so worthy?

Integra had left him, and now he was dying under the unbearable weight of his freedom. He was a monstrous dog, wild and violent, and such creatures should not be without their master. But he had no master now. None other than himself.

The undisciplined, gluttonous No-Life King.

But before he made a move of his own will, he had one thing he needed to complete. One final command he would obey, because that was all which remained of her now. This one command, and for love of this incredible human, he would follow it.

With a reverent touch he tilted her head back, exposing her long and wrinkled throat. He bent his head down until his lips pressed against the still warm flesh before he let his instincts as a vampire direct him. He bit cleanly into her, even as bloody tears continued to rain from his eyes.

Integra's blood was always the taste he craved, even after she'd lost her virginity. But in life, she'd only ever given him small morsels. Teases really, always just enough to whet his appetite and make him crave more as if to entice him to indulge his gluttony. Now he'd been given the command to take, to satisfy that hunger, and he found that instead of feasting as he would on anyone else, he was taking the longest of times to drink her in.

He sucked at the wound he'd made over her vein and let the blood slowly seep into his mouth before swallowing it down with a sound which was part moan of delight, and part whimper of anguish. It was like drinking the last bottle of the best wine. Alucard knew he'd never have this again, and as much as he wanted to savor her blood and all of its decadence, he knew that once it was over, it was over. There would never be anymore.

The thought ripped through him, horrible and painful given that he knew once he'd finished drawing her in, he'd fade away and in all likelihood kill her soul so that he could live again. He hated himself. He hated his being. He hated how he loved her blood and feared what would happen next. How his own fear would soon destroy all that was left of his beloved Integra.

Her blood settled within his stomach as it filled him, and he couldn't stop from looking at the memories of her soul, now freely open to him and his prying eyes. There were so many of them, for a human, and so many of them were dark and bloodstained. She'd been fighting ever since her uncle had tried to murder her so long ago, all the way up until now, and all of her memories were both horrible and nostalgic. He recalled many of them himself.

What surprised him, however, were the sheer amount of thoughts and memories in her mind that were all about _him_. Alucard had expected to find some there. He had been her monster, after all, and he'd caused her much grief over the years. But there was more there than he'd ever expected. Secret memories, thoughts, ideas, contemplations, emotions. Many of them were in regards to the operation and maintenance of the Hellsing Organization, but as the memories grew in age, he found something else had grown as well.

Warmth. Warmth he could not ignore or deny, and the intensity of her emotions almost made him choke on her blood. The truth of what she'd hidden away for so many years threatened to overwhelm him. Alucard had always thought that nothing of his master remained a mystery to him, given their psychic link. Granted, he might not have known all the reasons or desires which drove her, but he had thought she was, for the most part, transparent to him.

He was blindsided to find he was wrong. His iron maiden of a master had managed to conceal deep love and affection, love and affection for _him_ , like a hidden well which had no bottom. Heat, warmth, tenderness, compassion, it all existed like truth before him, honestly bared. His heart ached, and he whimpered as he hugged her dead body against his.

She'd _loved_ him, after all this time, but more than that, she'd _understood_ him better than anyone else ever had in all his existence. She knew that while she was alive she couldn't openly love him and be his master at the same time. She'd known that he _needed_ her to be his master, to own and command him completely, and while in the role of master her love would only undermine his need. So she'd hidden that part of herself away and had waited until death to show him the truth.

And as the last of her blood slipped from her body and down his throat, he saw that she'd waited until now for a reason. For a very specific reason, he realized, as her soul opened to him completely now.

It was a choice.

As his master, she'd commanded him and given him purpose, and for her humanity and indomitable spirit he had followed her every order with eager pleasure. Now, as equals and on the threshold of death, she was offering him one final thing, should he decide to take it. Something not given as a command, but as a choice and as a gift.

For love of him, she wanted him to embrace death with her. She wanted him to stop. She wanted him to find the courage to finally take those finals steps to the end, and to do it _with_ her. To choose her.

Together with her, he could allow himself to fade away. If that happened, Integra would truly be Master of the Monster. After all, it still took a human to kill a monster, and she could do it in a way no other human could; by claiming his heart. Alucard ached. Integra, his beloved human, master, and Countess … she was offering him the one thing he wanted more than anything.

She was willing to kill the greatest monster the world had ever seen. And she would do it out of _love_.

All he had to do was join her and she would give him eternal peace and solitude, wherever it was she'd take him. It was a final choice, one he had to make all on his own, of his own volition, because that was what _mattered_. She would not order him to do it. It had to be his choice, because if he did it on his own ….

If he did it on his own, then he'd have done it because he trusted her, and because he loved her. She knew that. And through her blood, he knew she _wanted_ him to know that. It was the final gift a true master could offer a true monster. A final end, but embraced _with_ her.

She wouldn't leave him alone if he chose to come with her.

As her blood finally merged with his, he felt her coalescing into something real and solid within his soul. Iron and eternal and beautiful and young again, and he knew she watched him, waiting to see what he would ultimately decide. Would he kill her, now that he was free? Or would he accept her gift and bow to her will just one more time, and of his own accord?

It was a good question, and it was one the old vampire worried he wouldn't have the courage to face and answer correctly. In his freedom he was a powerful coward, but in servitude he'd been tame and controlled, truly fearless. He knew what he wanted, but it scared him just as it had that final day of his human life. Alucard was terrified, because no matter how powerful he was, he knew it was within his nature to evade death until someone forced it upon him.

But the undeniable facts were that no one would _ever_ be able to force death upon him now, not when he could simply will himself back into existence. He would never allow himself to die. Not in battle, and not for anything mundane. But this was different. He _wanted_ this, to die with the master he'd chosen for himself. Alucard _wanted_ what she was offering.

Could he do it now? Could he be brave on his own, for himself? For her?

"Well, Count?" questioned Integra from within his soul. "Don't keep me waiting all day. Make your decision. It's time, and I'm tired."

"Tired, my Countess?" he taunted to the shade, his dark humor masking his fear as it always had. "You've shirked your mortal coil. I fail to see any way in which you could be fatigued."

She frowned as only she could frown at him, eyes still sharp and aware as they were every day of her life. "Don't argue with me, Alucard. I'm tired, and your indecision is tormenting both of us."

He was about to open his mouth, but she shook her head at him.

"No more waiting, No-Life King. It's time to make your choice. Either kill me and be done with it," Alucard involuntarily froze at the statement, rendered stupid by the very _idea_ of killing her. But he watched as her hard gaze softened, and she lifted her hand to him. "Or come with me and we can _both_ be done with it. We'll never leave each other again."

He stared at her. Years of service and love for her made him want to take her hand and go with her into death. Fade away once and for all. But the free part of him, the monster, whispered myths and fantasies to his weak heart. Tales of power and command and blood and endless, endless night. Of pleasures and violence, if only he destroyed this shade. If only he lifted his now liberated hand and finally killed Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing.

Alucard's heart shook in fear because it was a fantasy he knew, and a fantasy he enjoyed while he was thinking about it. He knew the glories of power and blood, of violence and pleasure. He knew them intimately and only as a monster could. But if he chose the fantasy yet again, he'd be forever stranded in life, walking the night alone.

He would destroy _everything_ , and he'd do it knowing he'd turned down the final chance at death he would ever receive.

And in that moment … his traitorous heart settled. His sinful desires faded in intensity and he found he wasn't as afraid anymore. Still scared, it was true, but it wasn't overwhelming as it had been just moments before or in the past. It just … was. Like his hunger for blood, or his desire for his master, or his care for his servant. Just there, but no longer mind-numbing. No longer all-consuming.

The No-Life King blinked when he saw his gloved hand nestled gently within Integra's, and he let her entwine their fingers together before she smiled at him.

"Good. I'd hoped you'd escort me into death. A lady shouldn't go alone into unknown places."

"If any 'lady' could go into unknown places on her own, it would be you," he countered, a slow smirk pulling on his lips as he held her hand close, aware of the enormity of his decision yet oddly content with it. "But I would be more than happy to accompany you into death, my Countess. Forever, if you'll permit it."

"I will permit it," she replied, a light in her blue eyes as she held his gaze warmly. "But first, I think there's someone you must speak with before we go. Don't you?"

At her prompting his sense of self shifted, and he found Seras waiting quiet and still as the night. Integra was right. If he died tonight, he had one final thing he needed to do. Not much in his life had ever mattered to him; just Integra and his young Draculina, and he couldn't leave yet without speaking to the girl first.

Alucard looked up from the dead body of Integra, and Seras smiled at him, just as she always did. He couldn't help the soft smile he gave her. From the link he shared with his servant, he knew she was already aware of Integra's death, and his choice to go with her.

"This is it then, Master?"

"It is," he agreed, allowing his decision to hang in the still, dark air. Seras looked to the side, eyes softening in sadness, but he could also see some happiness there too. Happiness for Integra, now that her suffering had ended, but mostly he knew it was happiness for _him_. Happiness that his suffering was finally at an end as well.

"For your sake, I hoped it would turn out this way," Seras admitted honestly as she caught his eyes again. "I'm happy for you, Master."

"Foolish girl," Alucard chuckled with fondness. Any other servant of his might have been pleased at his passing, as it would crown them the most powerful being on the planet. But not Seras Victoria. No, despite accepting the life of a vampire, she was still as good and pure as the day he'd first changed her.

Now though, she would face the night alone, independent and free of him. But she wouldn't really be alone. She still had her familiars, Pip Bernadotte and the other Wild Geese who had offered their blood to her so that they might live on to fight alongside her forever. She had the Hellsing Organization, and the young Sir Penwood. Seras still had a future here, monster or not, and she had a good head on her shoulders. It was more than he'd ever had, when he'd embraced the night, and even now she also had the one thing he hadn't. A heart. One which made her more than a monster. Something better than a monster.

Alucard knew he hadn't deserved her as a servant, but he also knew that Seras Victoria deserved _everything_.

"The night is yours now, my child," Alucard told his beloved fledgling as he felt Integra's blood begin to pull at his soul, the boundaries where he ended and she began starting to grow less defined. He was relieved to let it. "You have power unimaginable, Seras. Never do anything you do not desire for yourself. Never let anyone own you or control you, unless they are worthy." Alucard lifted a hand to stroke her soft blond hair. "And most importantly, never let them forget who you are, what you are, and who you came from."

"Of course, Master." Seras's voice wobbled, the softhearted girl, and Alucard smiled at his sweet, beloved servant. She would do good things for the world. Or she wouldn't. Either way she was a force to be reckoned with, and no matter what she did with her future he was more proud of her than she'd ever know.

She would be fine, and that surety allowed him to completely let go. It was time.

"Goodbye, my dear Seras Victoria."

With that soft farewell to the new Queen of the Night, the old No-Life King settled for the final time next to the cooling corpse of his former lover and master, and waited. Seras lingered, and through their dwindling connection he knew her resolve to stay to the end. To bear witness to both her masters' passing's, the faithful girl. And he was relieved again to discover what a comfort that was. A final comfort for a dying old monster who didn't deserve it.

The lines between himself and Integra were all but gone, and for the forth, and blessedly last time, he knew with certainty he was dying … and that this time there was no coming back. But there was no dawn to greet him, like there had been every time before. There was only the dim light of the moon, illuminating the face of his magnificent, human master, and he couldn't stop his lips from curling up, even as he lost sense of his feet. Of his legs. Of his arms.

His human master. The most beautiful, vibrant, worthy human he'd ever met in his long, long years. No dawn could ever compare to her, his iron maiden. And nothing ever had. Not God. Not Mina. Not his thirst for blood, and relentless desire for death.

His master. His beloved master. His beloved, worthy, human master.

"Go gentle into that good night, Master." Seras's voice sounded so far away to Alucard. Almost a whisper heard from another land. Another time. Another world. Even the gentle hand stroking his fading hair seemed to him as if it were from a memory. A dream. "I believe Sir Integra is waiting for you. You shouldn't keep her waiting. You know how she gets."

One final smirk birthed itself onto Alucard's translucent lips as if on reflex, even as his vision lost its focus and wavered until he wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was he was seeing. Not that it mattered to him. All that mattered now was the waiting form of Integra as she gave him a pointed look for having taken so long. He smiled at her and he offered his arm. She took it.

And arm-in-arm they took their first steps into death, and then faded away together.


End file.
